Prophecy – Jesus Christ Was a Descendant of Jacob
Date: 1450 B.C
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. The star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will arise out of Israel . . . Numbers 24:17 (NIV)
Fulfillment
Date: 2 B.C.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Matthew 2:1-2
He [Jesus] was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, . . . the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham . . . Luke 3:23, 34 (NIV)
Comment
This prophecy indicates the “star” will come from Jacob. The star is a a scepter. It was symbolic of a king. The prophecy states that a king would come from Jacob or Israel. The king was not near at hand but a long way off in time. The Messiah would have to be a descendant of Jacob. Jesus was a descendant of Jacob and He was and is the king of Israel.